“I’m glad. We’ll have fun here, for however long you can stay. If you’re up to it, I’d love for you to meet some friends of mine. One of them lives right here in the building.”

“Sounds great.”

They took the elevator up to Kendra’s floor, and as they approached the unit, Kendra saw a business card wedged in the doorjam. Kendra took the card and glanced at it.

“Let me guess,” Beth said. “A maid service. A pest-control company. A cute guy down the hall who wants to take you to dinner.”

“No. It’s from an online journalist. Sheila Hunter, a writer from The Kinsley Chronicle.”

“I read that on my iPad every morning. Good reporting, once you get past all the celebrity stuff.”

Kendra turned the card over, where a brief message had been scrawled.

She froze.

Beth leaned closer. “Are you okay?”

Kendra’s mouth went dry, and she could feel her heart pounding. “I—I need to call her. Right away.” Her hand shook as she unlocked the door.

“Kendra, what’s wrong?”

“I’m sorry, I just—” She turned to Beth. “I’ll explain. But first I need to—”

“Make your call,” Beth finished. “Sure. Do you want me to wait out here?”

“No. Come in.”

Kendra pushed open the door, already punching the number on her mobile phone.

The reporter answered on the first ring. “Sheila Hunter.”

“This is Kendra Michaels. I just got your card.” She drew a deep breath. “Is what you wrote on the back of that card true?”

“Dr. Michaels, thanks for getting back to me. I’d like to meet with you and ask some questions about—”

“Never mind that. Is it true?”

Sheila was silent, then answered, “Yes. It’s true. I have proof that Eric Colby is still alive.”

Kendra felt her chest tighten. “You’re not lying? You’re not just trying to get some story?”

“I don’t lie. I’m a reputable journalist. Of course, I’m trying to get a story, but Eric Colby is the story. If you’ll meet me at the rooftop at the W Hotel in an hour, I’ll prove it to you.”

“I’ll be there.” She hung up.

Her heart was beating hard, her hands were cold. She was excited, and yet it was a strange, chilling excitement. Close. Was she close at last?

“Kendra?”

She’d almost forgotten that Beth was standing there. She smiled with an effort as she turned to face her. “Sorry.” She moistened her lips. “I’m going to have to go out for a while. Something is … happening.”

“And it’s not good. You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” She took a step closer. “How can I help?”

“It may be good. It might be bullshit. I don’t know yet.” But that remark about seeing a ghost struck Kendra to the soul. It was too close to the truth about the call she’d just received about Colby. “I won’t know until I meet with this Sheila Hunter. She has the information. I’ll try to be back as soon as possible.”

Beth shook her head. “You’re upset. You’re one tough woman, and this isn’t like you. I’m not going to let you go by yourself. I won’t interfere, but I’m going to be there for you.”

“I don’t need you to be there for me. I just have to talk to this woman.”

“You talked to her for two minutes, and your hand was shaking when you hung up,” Beth said quietly. “I’m going.”

“I was just surprised. I don’t need you.”

“Just like I didn’t need you when I was in that jail cell. I’ve not had much experience with friendship, but I thought it went both ways.” She paused. “Unless you’re regarding me as a duty and not a friend.”

Dammit, Kendra thought helplessly, the last thing she wanted was to involve Beth or anyone else she cared about in this hunt for Colby, even in this small way. But she couldn’t reject Beth or make her feel she was less than a full person. She’d had to go through too much of that in that mental hospital.

“Okay.” Beth started to turn away. “I guess I was wrong about this. You don’t want or need my help. I’d probably just be in the way.”

“I didn’t say that.”

“No, but it was implied. Look, you’re too busy to bother with me right now. It’s okay, I understand. I’ll just go to Fresno as I planned.” She smiled faintly. “If you need me, just give me a call.” She headed for the door. “And like it or not, I’ll be here for you.”

Kendra could have stood whining or arguments. She couldn’t take the dignity and graciousness. And she couldn’t take the idea of Beth’s driving out of town when she’d just made this fragile contact with her again. “Don’t you pull that on me,” Kendra said. “In case you didn’t know, people try to protect their friends, and that’s what I was doing.” She smiled. “But I wasn’t being fair to you by not letting you do the same. So let’s get out of here and get a drink at that bar before we meet the reporter. I think I could use one.”

CHAPTER 3

KENDRA GLANCED UNEASILY AROUND the rooftop bar at the W Hotel just a few blocks from her condo. Decorated with a tall, bonfire-themed fire feature, beach chairs, and several tons of sand, the whimsical nature of the area couldn’t have been more out of tune with Kendra’s edgy mood.

Beth came back to the table with a glass of cabernet for Kendra and a tall green concoction for herself. “Here we go. Though you obviously could use something stronger.”

“What’s that?” Kendra nodded toward Beth’s drink.

“It’s something I invented myself. I call it the Angry Leprechaun. It’s mostly Midori, with Frangelica and a kick of spicy rum.” She shrugged. “I spent a few weeks tending bar in Mammoth Lakes.”

“I see.”

Beth sat down. “You’ve been seriously freaked ever since you talked to that reporter we’re meeting. Are you going to tell me why?”

Kendra sipped her drink and looked away. “It goes back to my first criminal investigation. I helped catch a serial killer named Eric Colby.” She paused. “He’s the most terrifying man I’ve ever known.”

Beth wrinkled her brow. “But he was executed a few months ago, right? I couldn’t turn on a TV or go onto the Web without seeing his face.”

“He was officially put to death by lethal injection in front of a roomful of witnesses. But I don’t think it really happened. We know he was working with another killer on the outside. I think this man might have kidnapped the prison physician’s wife and pressured him to administer a drug to simulate Colby’s death. The doctor and his wife were found dead in their car in the Angeles National Forest a few days later.”

“Murdered?”

“It was ruled an accident. I went to the site myself, and the scene had already been so trampled by cops and rescue workers that I couldn’t prove otherwise. It hadn’t been protected as a crime scene.”

“Incredible.”

“It would be if I could prove any of this. He was supposedly cremated that very night, but I also have doubts about that. I’ve been searching for some sign of Colby ever since, but he still hasn’t resurfaced.”

“And this reporter thinks she has the proof you’ve been looking for?”

“That’s what she says.” Kendra shook her head. “I’ve been here skimming some of her other investigative pieces on my phone, and she looks like the real deal.”

“I take that as a compliment, Dr. Michaels.” The voice was brusque but pleasant and came from behind them. They turned to see a slender woman wearing a dark blue suit. She was attractive, with large brown eyes and shoulder-length brown hair. She extended her hand. “Sheila Hunter.”

“Kendra.” Kendra shook hands and motioned toward Beth. “This is my friend, Beth Avery.”

Sheila gave Beth an awkward glance. “I see. What I’m here to tell you is extremely confidential. I’m only prepared to discuss it with you alone.”

Beth moved to stand up, but Kendra motioned her to stay. “Ms. Hunter, I understand, but anything you want to talk to me about you can also say in front of my friend. I assure you that she will keep it entirely confidential.”